2013-2014 Williams Prize Winner

June 6, 2014

Jenna Cook (Davenport College, Class of 2014) was one of two winners of the 2014 Williams Prize in East Asian Studies for her essay submitted to the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program, “Constructing Kinship: Longing, Loss, and the Politics of Reunion in China.”  The Council on East Asian Studies had a chance to catch up with Jenna over the summer and she kindly answered a few of our questions about her essay.

To begin, could you please provide an abstract or brief summary of your essay entitled Constructing Kinship: Longing, Loss, and the Politics of Reunion in China?

This senior project is an interview study of 50 Chinese birth families that each abandoned one daughter on the roadside in Wuhan, China in 1992.  In 2012, the families were interviewed while in the process of searching for their missing daughter.  Families abandoned their daughters in 1992 primarily because of the strict One Child Policy and the need for a son.  Twenty years later, families felt guilty about this decision, and birth mothers’ narrations showed evidence of trauma.  Families claimed that they left their daughter on the street with the intention of finding her later, and used the special notes and clothes they left with her in 1992 as clues in their search.  When asked why they wanted to find their daughter, families replied that they worried about her and wanted to set their hearts at ease.  This paper concludes with a discussion of the affective commonalities between the testimonies of Chinese birth parents and those of birth parents from the U.S. and South Korea, and also proposes directions for future research regarding birth parents in China.

How did you first get interested in your topic of research?

In the fall of my sophomore year I enrolled in an incredible class entitled “Adoption Narratives.”  It was cross-listed in English, WGSS, and ER&M, and taught by Margaret Homans. This course inspired me to pursue adoption studies, and my senior essay is an extension of my coursework in this class. 

What would you say was the most interesting finding of your research?  Were there any surprises?

Birth parents in the Chinese media and in American popular culture are often vilified.  I was struck by the amount of intention and forethought that the birth families put into leaving their daughters on the street.  Even though over two decades had passed, they remembered everything from the specific location they had placed her to what she was wearing at that time.  I was surprised by the various ways that parents attempted to mark their daughter in the hopes of providing a way to reunite with her later in life.

What was the most challenging part of your research?

The most challenging part of my research was the emotional intensity of the interviews.  I had never witnessed such intense pain, trauma, and grief.  At times it was really overwhelming.  Experiencing the interviews in real time was one thing, but re-watching them over and over again while in the process of analysis was even more of a challenge.   
What resources at Yale were the most helpful for your research? 

This research would not have been possible without the support of many Yale grants, including: the Kingsley Trust Association Summer Travel Fellowship, the Yale College Dean’s Research Fellowship in the Humanities and Social Sciences, the Yale College Public Service Fellowship, the Yale Richter Fellowship, and the Bruce L. Cohen Fund for Undergraduate Research.

I utilized multiple libraries at Yale including the East Asia Library and the Film Studies Center.  I also consulted with about a dozen faculty members in various departments about the project.  Their suggestions and input were essential in helping me to narrow my research question and identify analytical themes.

Were you able to travel to Asia during your time at Yale?  If so, where and when, and what type of program?  Did you go on a Light Fellowship? 

I traveled to China every summer while enrolled at Yale.  The summer after freshman year, I studied Mandarin at CET-Harbin through the Richard U. Light Fellowship.  The summer after sophomore year, I conducted 44 of the 50 interviews in Wuhan, China and also visited the national adoption headquarters in Beijing.  The summer after junior year, I returned to Wuhan to conduct an additional 6 interviews and follow up with some of the participants.  I will be returning to China shortly after graduation.

How important would you say your language study at Yale was to your research?

It would have been extremely difficult for me to complete this project without the seven terms of Chinese language training that I received while at Yale and also the summer in Harbin through the Light Fellowship.  Since the birth families spoke a regional dialect, I worked closely on the ground with a team of local journalists who helped translate the dialect into standard Chinese.  If I could not speak standard Chinese, the interview process would have been even slower and it would have been difficult to actively participate in the interview process.  Furthermore, Chinese comprehension and a sense of cultural and historical context were essential in the transcription and translation of the interview footage.  I am grateful to my Chinese classmates and instructors at Yale who engaged with me in thoughtful conversations about the most precise way to translate a phrase or the important nuances between two words.  My understanding of the Chinese language allowed me to participate in these conversations as well.

When you had some downtime on campus, what did you like to do for fun?  Any particular interests or hobbies related to East Asia?

In my spare time (and when I have spare money!), I like to eat at local New Haven Chinese restaurants.  My favorite snacks are Gua Bao at Chao Chao, Dan Dan Mian at Taste of China, and Xia Jiao at Great Wall weekend dim sum.

When I’m not studying, I’m usually mentoring Asian American freshmen through the Peer Liaison program, leading the student organization Adopted Yalies, and spending time with my suitemates.  I also enjoy sending daily pictures and silly stickers to my friends in China through Weixin.

What advice would you offer to rising seniors about how to tackle their senior theses?

I would recommend working backwards from the deadline to make a research plan/writing schedule and trying your best to stick with it.  I printed out a big calendar and every day that I spent at least 30 minutes working on my thesis, I crossed an “X” over that day.  My goal was to try not to break the chain.  Since the senior essay does not have weekly (or daily) deadlines like other lecture, seminar, or language courses, it can be tempting to keep putting the work off, but starting early and working regularly will save you stress in the end.

What will you be doing after graduation?

After graduation I will be in China on a Fulbright Fellowship.  After returning from China, I plan to apply to PhD programs in anthropology.